Wash Park In The Fall

It was a mellow afternoon this past Friday in Denver's Washington Park, crisp but sunny, and there were a surprising number of people there enjoying the day, including myself and my sister Susan's dog Blackberry. Blackberry is getting old now (she's 15), and doesn't like to walk as much as she used to. She mostly seems to be checking the ground for food, and when she does find something, she often snaps it up so quickly I can't stop her from swallowing it. To say Blackberry is undisciplined is a major understatement.

The trees here in the city are still showing their fall colors, but the leaves are falling fast. In the mountains, of course, they have already had a lot of snow, and I imagine the trees up there are quite barren, although I don't know for sure. I tend to stay out of the mountains this time of year, since I have neither snow tires nor chains. Just this past week, a snowstorm was so bad heading west out of Denver that many unprepared motorists couldn't get up the inclines, traffic ground to a halt, and Interstate 70 had to be closed. As per state law, the offending drivers were taken out and shot. A harsh penalty, but necessary as a warning to other drivers.